


Sunshine

by TheWinterSoldier_BuckyBarnes



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Adorable, Canon Continuation, Fluff, Jason is a Good Friend, M/M, Nico is sad and angsty, One Shot, Teasing, just how i like them, three days in the infirmary, well it started as a one shot, will is a ball of sunshine, you can just read the first chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-19
Updated: 2015-09-19
Packaged: 2018-04-15 12:35:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4607004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWinterSoldier_BuckyBarnes/pseuds/TheWinterSoldier_BuckyBarnes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One Shot - A continuation of Nico and Wills story arc, showing what happens during Nicos first day in the infirmary.<br/>(Was originally a one shot but I've since continued it. You could just read the first chapter if you're looking for something quick.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sunshine

     Nico followed Will as he led him across the field toward the infirmary. He tried hard not to stare at Wills blond hair as it caught the sunlight, making it almost look like he had a halo. Except when he wasn’t looking at his hair, he was looking at his arms and the way he swung them by his sides, the muscles showing with the action. Or if it wasn’t his arms it was…  
     Nico stopped himself from thinking anything else like that. He immediately pushed his feelings away and tried to ignore them. He didn’t want to go through the same thing he did with Percy. He had only just gotten over that and it took him almost four years.  
     Nico considered the possibility that this time could be different, that Will could be different. He thought about the way Will didn’t seem to care that he was the son of Hades. He just wanted Nico around, which wasn’t very common among most people. Will seemed to be so comfortable around him, something Nico couldn’t say the same for. Will didn’t even seem affect by Nico’s glare; he was too stubborn, too determined, to look away or even flinch.  
     Nico had to admit, he found that oddly attractive. Will wasn’t afraid of him; in fact he wanted to be friends. Just being around him, Nico felt a bit more loved, wanted. Like someone desired to be around him and spend time with him.  
     He stared at the ground concentrating on keeping his feelings at bay. When they reached the infirmary, he looked up and saw almost all the beds full with wounded demigods.  
     As Will led him to an empty bed in the back of the room, Nico spoke up. “Will, I shouldn’t be here. These other demigods need your attention, not me.”  
     “You need my attention too, Nico. Besides, I always have time for you,” Will gave him a lopsided grin, his bright blue eyes catching the light and twinkling. Nico felt an odd swooping in the pit of his stomach and gave a ghost of a smile before looking away awkwardly.  
     Will made a grand gesture with his arms directed at the bed. “Here you go. You’ll be staying here for the next few days.”  
     Nico thought about all the other people in the infirmary, how most of them were cautious if not scared of him. How would they react to him being here? The son of Death, hanging around a place where so much death had already occurred, where still more could happen.  
     He spoke up, “You- You’re not going to leave me right?” He gave an uncomfortable laugh, trying to play it off as a joke, trying not to let Will see how serious he was, how nervous he was that Will would actually abandon him.  
     Will took a few steps closer, making Nico’s heart start to race faster and his palms to sweat. The older boy bent down a little to look right in Nico’s eyes and he placed his large hands on his narrow, bony shoulders. Nico felt that flutter in his stomach again and a tingling sensation where Will laid his hands.  
     “I’m not going to leave you. I promise,” The sincerity in his voice made Nico think he was talking about something more than just staying in the infirmary. Oddly enough though, Nico found himself trusting Will. He didn’t trust many people, but there was something about Will that drew him in and made him feel safe.  
     He was so open and happy, ready to help anyone and everyone. He was the kind of person that would keep your secrets with his life, that you could go to with anything and trust he would help. Nico only hoped he was right, that Will wouldn’t leave him like every other person in his life did.  
     Nico gave a soft smile and looked in to Will’s eyes with full trust. He moved from Wills hands and sat slowly on the bed, maintaining eye contact. “So, I’ll just stay here?” He questioned.  
     He knew full well that Will needed to attend to the other patients that needed him, but selfishly he hoped Will would stay with him; sit on the bed beside him and just talk. No such luck.  
     “Yeah, you need to get some rest,” Will looked at Nico and gave him a warm smile. “I know you haven’t been eating so I’ll have someone bring you food. I have to see my other patients. They need me. I’m kind of a big deal around here.”  
     Nico tried to ignore the way his heart began to pound at the playful smirk spreading across Will’s face.  
     “Okay, big shot. You go do what you need to, I’ll just be here waiting for your return,” Nico tried hard to keep the grin to himself, but when he failed, the smile burst across his face. The muscles in his cheeks hurt from disuse. He didn’t smile often, but recently he found himself smiling all the time, mainly because of Will.  
     He noticed the way Wills eyes light up slightly and how the corners of his mouth pulled up, showing off small dimples. Nico didn’t want to assume things, but the thought that he could have that effect on Will made him feel light and even a bit giddy.  
     “I’ll come back to check on you in a bit. Take a look at that arm of yours,” Will raised an eyebrow and gestured at the bandage on Nico’s arm. He had almost forgotten momentarily that it was there. After it had first been patched up, it hadn’t bothered him as much. Now there was only a throbbing ache when it got irritated.  
     Nico gave a little smile as Will prepared to leave. “Alright.”  
     When Will reached the edge of the curtain divider, he glanced back at Nico before turning and walking away.

                                                                                                                                   ~

     Sometime later a random Apollo girl brought Nico lunch. She was pretty young, maybe twelve. He figured she was a new camper and so got stuck with the menial jobs. She was shaking as she lay the tray down on the bedside table, avoiding eye contact at all costs. Nico wanted to get mad and tell her there was nothing to be scared of. Instead he felt slightly hurt and settled for giving her a small smile and saying ‘thanks.’ He didn’t eat much of the food, but when Will passed later and gave him a hard look, he tried to eat more.  
     The sun was beginning to set and Nico was still waiting for Will to return. He felt restless and wanted to see if he could help with anything, but the fear of being rejected by the other campers kept him in bed. Eventually he fell asleep and for once did so peacefully with out tension bunching up his muscles, or apprehension of the day to come keeping him up.

                                                                                                                                   ~

     When he woke up it was dark out and Will was sitting beside his bed. That was the first thing he noticed. The second was that he was nodding off and his head and arms were resting on the bed beside Nico, so close he could feel Will’s soft hair against his arm. He wanted to leave him sleeping. He couldn’t remember the last time in the past few days he had seen Will look so peaceful and unstressed. Nico felt slightly uncomfortable with the close proximity and yet at the same time he craved contact.  
     He sat up in bed and Will began to stir, rubbing at his eyes and yawning as he shifted in the chair, removing his body from the bed.  
     “Hey, you’re awake!” Wills groggy voice greeted Nico. He tried to control the fluttering in his stomach as he answered.  
     “You stayed the whole time?” Nico was a little surprised. He figured Will would have left when he saw him asleep.  
     “Of course,” Will gave a smile that was way too bright for someone who had just woken up. “Lets take a quick look at your arm before you go back to sleep.”  
     Nico was about to protest that he felt fine, in fact he should probably just go back to his cabin, when Will grabbed his arm, effectively cutting him off.  
     Nico felt that odd sensation again where Will’s hands were, like electricity running up and down his arm.  
     Will began to unwind the bandages and when he was finished he started plucking things off a tray. Nico noticed the food had been taken away and was now replaced with Will’s tools, amongst them a jar of some sort of transparent gel. Will began to apply it to the wolf scratches on his arm, slowly and gently, like he was trying his hardest not to hurt Nico.  
     “How is it feeling?” He questioned.  
     “Fine,” Nico responded, not bothering to mention the small throbbing he could feel building up. All he could focus on was Will’s hand moving along his arm.  
     “That’s good, It’s healing pretty well. We’ll need to keep redressing it and putting on this gel to help speed up the process. I’ve never actually dealt with werewolf injuries but I know they don’t heal like normal wounds. I’ll just have to keep an eye on it. Anyway I brought some ambrosia and nectar. We don’t have any unicorn draught, but I thought it might still help a bit.”  
     If it was anyone else, Nico would have found their rambling annoying, but on Will it was sort of cute. It may also have had something to do with the fact that all Nico could look at was Will’s lips the whole time, or that all he could feel was his hands softly wrapping a new bandage around the wounds. As Will secured it he looked up and met Nico’s eyes.  
     “That’s alright, I’ll try it,” Will handed the small square to the boy in front of him and after that was gone, the glass of nectar.  
     “What does it taste like?” Will asked, giving him a warm smile.  
     Nico blushed a little as he finished the glass and placed it back on the table.  
     “Blue birthday cake,” He admitted. He didn’t feel like telling Will the rest of the story; how he had never had a birthday party, or even been invited to one. How the only time he had ever come close was when Percy had invited him in his house to have some of his cake.  
     Will gave a small musical laugh and that’s when Nico realized Will was holding on to his arm again, even after he had finished changing the bandages. In fact Nico realized how close they were to holding hands. He glanced up and found Will looking at him intently with a small smile and inviting eyes. He began to get nervous and looked away, but didn’t bother to move his hand.  
     “Well I guess you should get back to bed,” Will said softly, pulling his hand away slowly. He must have seen the anxious look on Nico’s face because he added, “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”  
     Nico hated how weak this probably made him look. He wanted to tell Will he didn’t need him to stay, that he would be fine on his own. The truth though, was that Nico was relieved that for once he wouldn’t have to fall asleep feeling alone. Of course he would never admit it.  
     Still feeling slightly embarrassed, Nico gave a small smile to Will before rolling over and closing his eyes.  
     “Goodnight,” He said softly.  
     “Goodnight,” Will replied, the smile evident in his voice.  
     It was harder to fall asleep this time. Nico was hyperaware of the fact that just a foot away, Will was sitting beside his bed. It made his heart race, but then Will started humming, something slow and sweet, and eventually Nico feel asleep to the beautiful sound.

                                                                                                                                           ~

     Someone was shaking him. Nico’s first reaction would have been to draw his sword, which of course he didn’t have on him. He would have settled for simply hitting them, but then he heard Wills voice.  
     “Come on, Nico, wake up.”  
     There was that electricity on his skin again where Wills hands were and that odd feeling in his stomach. Still it wasn’t enough to get him up.  
     Will kept shaking him. “Seriously dude, get up.”  
     Nico didn’t exactly appreciate being called dude, but he let it pass because of who it was. He groaned and rolled over facing the other boy.  
     He peeled his eyes open slowly and made another sound of protest.  
     “You have got to be kidding me,” He stated.  
     It was still dark outside. The sun was only just beginning to burn on the horizon as it slowly rose.  
     Will gave a wicked grin. “I wake up with the sun. Child of Apollo thing.”  
     “That doesn’t mean I have to be awake too.”  
     “I want you to see something,” Will smiled and grabbed Nico’s hand, pulling him up.  
     “Hold on, hold on, I’m coming,” Nico quickly shoved his feet in to his combat boots scattered at the side of the bed and stood up.  
     Will took Nico’s hand again and started jogging out of the infirmary, pulling Nico behind him. No one else was awake yet, but when they got outside he noticed a few Apollo campers here and there.  
     The sun was rising over the Sound and despite how Nico hated being up this early, he had to admit it was beautiful. The dew in the fields hadn’t burned off yet and as the suns rays hit them, they lit up. The long shadows began to disappear and the sweet smell of strawberries became apparent. The quiet across the camp in combination with the captivating scene made for a feeling of peace and contentment. Nico couldn’t remember the last time he felt that way.  
     Will didn’t let go of his hand until they reached the side of the Big House. As soon as his hand was gone he felt the absence in his chest and the lack of warmth and comfort the action had provided.  
     Will began to climb the vine- covered trellis that reached up to the top of the house. The muscles in his arms showed with the physical exertion and he tried not to stare as Will easily pulled himself up.  
     After a moment of hesitation, Nico followed. He had done a lot of dangerous things in his life, but for some reason this one felt the most exhilarating.  
     When he reached the roof he carefully made his way over to where Will sat in the middle. The roof was slanted enough that it called for all your focus and attention on not falling.  
     He sat down beside Will, close enough that their jeans brushed against each other’s. Nico held his breath for a moment, looking out at the distance. From up here you could see the whole camp sprawled out below and the waves of the Sound catching the light as the sun continued to rise.  
     After a minute he spoke up. “So, do you come up here often?” Nico hated how stupid the question sounded, but he eagerly awaited Will’s reply.  
     “Yeah. I mean I always watch the sunrise, but I try to come up here whenever I can. I find it really peaceful,” Nico watched as Will spoke, admiring the serene look on his face.  
     He had always preferred the darkness, tried to stay in the shadows, but up here he could see why people liked the light so much. It illuminated everything, let you see clearly.  
     “I can see what you mean.”  
     “You know I’ve never brought anyone up here,” Will looked over at him, giving him a soft smile. Nico felt a feeling burst in his stomach, like butterflies - skeletal butterflies that is. He tried to calm his racing pulse as he gave a shaky smile and replied.  
     “I must be pretty special then, huh?” He almost stumbled over the words, but managed to push them out.  
     Will looked in to Nico’s eyes making him feel uneasy. “You are special.”  
     Nico didn’t think he had ever been so happy in his life. No one had ever told him that. No one had ever really told him he was wanted or needed, or that he meant something to them. There had only been a few people in his life he had ever been that close with, and they all ended up leaving, one way or another.  
     He had the sudden desire to leave right then and there. Leave the camp and Will and never look back, never return. He didn’t want to get hurt again, didn’t want to hurt anyone else. It was safer when he was alone. But he stayed. Will was so close their arms were brushing and he desperately wanted this time to be different.  
     Anxiety and fear flooded through him and so to feel in control again, to try and protect himself, he did the only thing he could think of. He killed the mood.  
     “You know, we’re supposed to be friends and we still don’t really know each other very much.”  
     Will’s smile didn’t even falter. In fact it may have gotten bigger.  
     “Oh, I know plenty about you Nico di’ Angelo. I know you’re brave and smart and selfless. You’ve put your life on the line more times than I can count and when its over you don’t take any of the glory; you leave that for everyone else. I know you’ve been through Hell and back, literally. And you did it alone. You’re incredibly strong. You feel so much pain, and you won’t let anyone in to help you. Everyone you’ve ever been close with in your life has left you, and so you think you should just be alone.” Will took a deep breath and looked back up at Nico. “I don’t want you to be alone anymore. You don’t have to be.”  
     Nico thought he heard something else at the end, but it was said so softly he couldn’t be sure. It sounded like ‘you have me.’  
     By the end of Will’s speech, Nico was almost crying. Tears welled up in his eyes and he tried hard to blink them away and not let Will see. He was surprised Will had been able to see though his act so easily; not many people could. He knew Will could sense the pain and darkness in him when they touched, but he also knew he couldn’t have figured out that much from it. He had done it all on his own.  
     Nico felt exposed with all of his secrets laid out like that. Yet at the same time he had never felt so light. It was almost like a burden had been lifted off his shoulders now that Will really knew him. And he hadn’t left. That was the best part. Will knew him for who he really was and he hadn’t left.  
     That seemed to be happening a lot lately. People were seeing Nico’s darkest secrets, feeling his pain, and still they weren’t leaving. It still surprised him every time it happened.  
     Nico avoided looking at Will and instead watched as the sun continued to rise. He didn’t know what to say to the end of his speech, and so he ignored it and said, “So I guess you know everything you need to know about me huh?”  
     He felt Will reach out and place his hand on one of Nico’s resting on his propped up knees.  
     Nico quickly turned his head to look at Will only to find Will already looking at him. His hand completely covered Nico’s own, and slowly Will slotted his fingers between his.  
     “There’s still a lot I want to know about you, Nico,” Will didn’t break eye contact once and he continued to look intensely at him. The sincerity in Wills voice, soft and genuine, made Nico feel like his walls were slowly being torn down. He trusted Will and so when he slowly started to lean in, Nico didn’t panic.  
     He realized this was moving too quickly. He had only been friends with Will for a few days and already he trusted him more than almost anyone else. He never did anything this bold and irresponsible and yet here he was. The battle with Gaea had changed him, maybe for the better. Maybe it was okay to take a leap of faith sometimes, and hope everything would turn out all right. Maybe be it was okay to let your heart lead instead of your mind. Maybe it was okay to _feel_.  
     And so, for once, Nico listened to those feelings; he didn’t deny them or push them away. He let them take control. He let himself be happy.  
     Nico placed his other hand on Wills chest, right over his heart, and leaned in for his first kiss.


	2. Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im sorry this is barely edited. I just wanted to post another chapter before I started thinking about it too much.

Nico woke up to the sound of loud obnoxious knocking on his cabin door. He groaned and rolled over in his bed trying to block out the sound. It felt like only a few hours ago he had managed to fall asleep, and in truth, it probably had been. Nico was pretty sure he had insomnia; every night no matter how tired he was, he tried to fall asleep and just couldn't. He tried not to feel, to shut down his mind, but he still only every ended up with a few hours of sleep. And the rare times he really did manage to sleep, it wasn't pretty. He could sleep for days. Literally.  
Nico peeled his eyes open and shut them just as quick. Judging by the light streaming through the windows, it was still early, maybe 8 o'clock. That meant that whoever was still knocking was probably trying to wake Nico up for breakfast.  
“Come on, Nico, get up!” The familiar voice shouted outside the door. Will.  
Oh Gods, Will. Nico had gotten out of the infirmary a couple of days ago and had been avoiding him ever since. After that kiss, they had pretty much acted like nothing had happened, like everything was normal. But it still felt awkward, or maybe that was just Nico. It was his first kiss, and he couldn't just ignore that. He didn't know if he wanted to talk about it or not; probably not, but he wanted something to happen. Kind of hard though when Nico was avoiding him. But that's just what he did; he made everything harder and more complicated than it had to be.  
Will wasn't giving up, so Nico figured he might as well face him now and answer the door. Nothing that bad could happen right? Its not like his life could really get any worse. Nico pushed and kicked the covers to the end of the bed till his legs were free then swung them over the side to hit the floor. The wood was cool under his bare feet as he stood up and stretched and yawned for an excessive amount of time. Finally he strode over to the door in nothing but the boxers he slept in. He twisted the handle and pulled open the door leaving only the smallest crack as to not let Will see his state of undress.  
“You're still here?” Nico questioned gruffly, squinting his eyes to avoid the bright sun and Wills even brighter hair.  
“Of course. You think I would give up that easily?”  
“Of course not,” Nico replied sarcastically.  
“Come on, lets go get breakfast,” Will offered brightly, gesturing to the dinning pavilion with his head.  
“I'm not hungry,” Nico said as he tried to close the door.  
Will stuck his foot in the way and gave a bright grin before saying, “I don't care, you're coming anyway. I'm going to make sure you start eating properly.”  
“I eat just fine,” Nico retorted.  
“No you don't. You're practically anorexic. I'm not going to let that happen to you”  
“I'm fine.”  
“No you're not.”  
Nico huffed, not wanting to continue arguing. He wasn't going to waste his time knowing Will was as stubborn as he was. Plus, he couldn't ignore the feeling in his stomach at the thought of being with Will.  
“Fine, I'll come. Give me a minute to get ready.”  
“Can't I wait inside?” Will asked still smiling. Which as much as Nico loved his smile, it was starting to get on his nerves. It was too early to be that happy, but somehow Will always was.  
“No. I need to get dressed, you can wait outside.”  
“Aw come on, you're going to make me wait out here?” Wills smirk was starting to make Nico feel both uncomfortable and nervous at the same time.  
“Yeah, I am,” Nico quickly shut the door and leaned against it feeling oddly out of breath. He didn't understand the way Will made him feel. It was nothing like with Percy; that had been the infatuated crush of a ten year old. This was different and Nico still couldn't decide if he liked it or not.  
He quickly went to get ready so as not to keep Will waiting and then noticed that Hazel had already left. That wasn't surprising though. Unlike Nico, she actually slept and got up at a normal time. She was probably leaving him to get some rest like she did the past couple of days. Still, Nico couldn't help but feel the reason she left without waking him was because she didn't want him around. He knew it didn't make sense, but he couldn't stop those kinds of thoughts. Brushing it off, he continued to prepare himself for the day, and the son of Apollo waiting for him outside his door. Despite the distant way he treated him, he was eager to spend time with the boy.  
When Nico opened the door and stepped outside it was to find Will leaning against the side of his cabin on the porch. The sun hit his hair in just the right way so that it lit up his whole head. His hair truly was golden, just like his fathers. A million different shades of blond all mixed together to create the nicest hair Nico had ever seen.  
And then Will looked up and his eyes met Nico's and his breath caught in his throat. Wills eyes were beautiful. Bright blue like the Caribbean ocean on a clear day. He could have admired Will all day but then of course he had to ruin it.  
“Are you just going to stare at me all day or are we going to breakfast?”  
“Shut up, Solace.”  
Nico marched past Will down the steps of the porch and into the commons area. As he strode across the field he sensed rather than saw, Will falling into step beside him.  
“Do you want to come to the infirmary with me today?” Will questioned, squinting against the suns rays. Nico couldn't help but think about how cute he looked doing that, and then immediately hated himself for thinking that. He had been doing a lot of that lately, that whole self-loathing thing, more so than usual even.  
“Seriously? You're still asking the son of Hades to help you in a room full of injured people?”  
“Oh course I am. When are you going to understand that I want you around Nico?”  
The sentence just didn't make sense to him. Someone wanting to spend time with Nico. The words didn't usually go together, but then here was Will telling him again that he wanted him around.  
“Well... I guess I can stay for a bit,” He responded as they reached the dinning pavilion. The moment he saw the large fissure across the otherwise flawless surface, a sharp pang spread across his chest. The memories came rushing up at him and he held his breath and tightened the muscles in his stomach till he could control the feeling. He didn't want Will to see him weak, so he avoided eye contact as Will continued to go on about how busy the infirmary was and how glad he was Nico was coming to help. The second they passed over the crack, Nico let out a breath and felt his body relax. The muscles released their tension and he finally looked up at the crowds around him. Just as soon as he felt some sort of relief, his breath started to quicken and his heart raced. He felt like every person in the room was staring at him and maybe they were. After he had helped stop the war between the two camps he had been getting a bit more attention than he wanted. Of course he wanted people to accept him, but this wasn't quite it. Some people even seemed more afraid of him after seeing him in combat.  
As Will got separated from him in the crowd of Greek and Roman campers, Nico took this opportunity to slip away and get to his table. Despite the fact that since the Romans had arrived, people hadn't exactly been following the schedule or the rules of meal times, nobody sat at the Hades table. People were mixed in sitting with their old and new friends; even Hazel sat with Frank at the Poiseden table with Percy and the rest of them and didn't notice him walk by. The fact made him even more distraught. People were crowded into tables they couldn't fit at, and yet here was this empty table that nobody would touch.  
Nico reached his table and sat down. Almost immediately a nymph came up to him and offered him a platter of fruits to chose from. He plucked a halved pomegranate from the tray and almost started laughing cynically, but decided that might scare the girl. Other nymphs came up to him, trying to offer breakfast foods including eggs and pancakes and cereals, but Nico stuck to the pomegranate and black coffee. He remembered the promise he had made to himself that he would never eat a pomegranate again after the time he had spent in the bronze jar. For a short time after that experience, he had even had a proper appetite and he would eat just about anything. Now though, the thought of eating any real food made his stomach turn, but the pomegranate seemed like it might be okay. He considered why, and figured it had something to do with a form of self-punishment. The fruit reminded him of many things, but that he could handle, barely. Eating anything that might actually be good for him, that he could not.  
After offering half of the fruit to his dad, he sat back at his empty table and started eating. As soon as he did, he began to feel sick. The feel of food in his stomach was enough to make him want to throw up, which he knew wasn't healthy, but he couldn't help.  
A plate dropped loudly on to the table in front of him and when Nico looked up it was to see a mop of blond hair and bright smile.  
“You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily did you?” Will smirked.  
“Oh course not. That was just a wild hope.”  
“I'm so hurt,” Will put a hand to his heart and faked a frown. “You're eating more than that right?”  
Nico looked down to the half finished pomegranate as he thought 'actually I was just about done.' Instead he looked back up guiltily and tried to avoid eye contact.  
“You've got to be kidding me. Nico you got to eat more than that. You're going to starve yourself.” When Nico didn't respond, Will continued, “But you'd be okay with that wouldn't you?”  
Nico snapped his head up and narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean by that?”  
“Never mind. Here,” Will took a bowl of cereal balancing on his plate and placed it on the spot in front of Nico where his now discarded pomegranate once lay.  
With the look Will was giving him, there was no way he could refuse and so he gave in and started to take small bits, a few Lucky Charms at a time with the occasional marshmallow. He guessed this was Wills favorite cereal. It seemed out of place for Nico, though he had to admit it didn't taste that bad, but it fit Will perfectly.  
“See, that's better isn't it?”  
Nico made a noncommittal noise as response and kept eating before an idea came to him.  
“Why are you sitting here anyway?”  
“Why wouldn't I sit with my friend? You're always alone. I want to change that.” Will responded so sincerely Nico had to pause eating for a minute.  
“You're not even supposed to be sitting here.”  
“Oh come on, don't give me that. You can't tell me you haven't noticed the fact no one is sitting at their proper table.”  
“I guess.”  
Will suddenly stopped eating and looked at Nico seriously. “Can I ask you something?”  
The sudden change in mood and topic immediately made Nico feel uncomfortable and made him want to get up and leave.  
“I guess so...” He said hesitantly.  
“Why are you acting so different than that night? Why did you suddenly start to avoid me after we kiss-”  
Nico lunged across the table and clamped his hand over Wills mouth. It wasn't necessarily that he was ashamed of being gay; he had started to accept that especially after his talk with Percy. It was just that he hadn't come to terms with this whole thing with Will. And he wasn't sure just what this was. He didn't need people knowing and talking about it before he had even figured out exactly how he felt and what he was going to do about it.  
Will slowly pulled Nico's hand off his mouth before speaking, an unmistakable sadness in his eyes. “So that's it then. You don't want to be with me. You're embarrassed. Are you embarrassed to be gay or just be with me?”  
Nico anxiously glanced around again to make sure no one was listening, which probably only added to Wills ideas about being embarrassed. “I'm not embarrassed. I just don't know what to think yet and I don't want everyone knowing.”  
“Why would it be such a big deal if people knew?”  
“You see the way people treat me now. How would they react if the son of Hades was gay as well?”  
“Why should other peoples opinions matter to you?” Will questioned.  
Nico thought about that. About how all he ever really wanted was peoples acceptance, their support, their understanding. That happened to involve what people thought of him. “I just do, okay?”  
“Okay but why did you avoid me? You didn't even come to get your arm checked.”  
“I told you, I didn't know what to think yet. I needed time.”  
“And did you get that time? Have you figured it out? Because I know exactly how I feel about that night.”  
The way Will spoke sent nervous tingles through Nico's body. An unusual but not entirely unpleasant feeling. This was it though, this moment. Will could either turn around and tell Nico he wanted to end whatever they may have unwittingly started, or he could say he wanted more, he wanted to continue. Nico wasn't sure which was better or how he felt about either. He really did need to get his emotions in check.  
“No, I haven't.”  
“Okay, so then answer my other question. Why are you acting so different. That night you were so open, it seemed like you knew how you felt. Now its like you changed your mind.”  
“I don't know what happened that night, but that's not how I usually am. I'm not an open person, I don't know how I feel. I haven't made up my mind! I don't even know what this is? What is it Will? Please tell me because I've never done anything like this before, and I don't know how to deal with it. What am I supposed to think?”  
Will started intently at him for a minute, contemplating his small outburst. Finally he spoke. “You're just supposed to trust me. And yourself. You need to figure out what you feel and what you want.”  
Suddenly it was like a door closing. Nico's walls built right back up and he completely closed off. He realized how much he had just released and regretted it.  
“Please Nico. Just trust me. I get things are hard for you. But I want to help. I can help you understand and deal with this. I can help you figure out how you feel.”  
“And how is it exactly that you feel Will?”  
It wasn't a sight Nico had seen often, but suddenly Will began to get nervous and fidget. He played with his hands in his lap as he looked down, a shy smile crossing his handsome face. A red blush began to creep up his neck as he attempted to cover it with his mop of blond hair. The pain and anger that had been slowly building throughout the conversation began to dissipate as Nico looked upon the sight of a blushing Will. He couldn't help but feel a warm melting feeling in his chest, all the annoyance and frustration with the boy disappearing.  
The reaction had told Nico everything he needed to know, but still Will spoke. “I like you, Nico. And I want to continue being your friend if that's what you want.”  
Will may have be nervous at first, but suddenly he was confident again. He wasn't ashamed of the fact that he liked Nico, the fact that he was gay. It was something Nico could never hope to do, but he admired it none the less.  
“I don't know what I want.”  
Even as Nico continued the conversation, he had a burning regret and wanted immediately to end it. Even with all the improvements he had made in the past week or so, this was too much for him. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it up.  
“That's okay. It okay to need to time to figure things out. I just want you to trust that my intentions are real. I want you to trust me as your friend and as someone who wants to help you.” Will's response was so sincere that Nico had to pause to keep his emotions in check. He didn't want Will to see any weaknesses, didn't want him to see how much this whole talk was affecting him. By pushing these feelings aside, Nico only had room for one emotion: anger. He got angry at the fact that he couldn't just have a normal open conversation with a new friend. He got angry at the fact that he couldn't decide how to act about these feelings he had for someone he may or may not like. Mainly he got angry as he started to feel that nobody really understood him, the way he acted, the way he felt. At the fact that he couldn't open up to anyone, because no one deserved to have to feel his pain and deal with his problems.  
All these emotions rushed through him at once, leaving him feeling disoriented and confused and scared. He couldn't deal with it, so he did the only thing he knew; he ran away. He pushed away the feelings until he couldn't any longer and they all came out at once. Suddenly Nico snapped, and it was like a whole other mood, a whole different person taking over. Everything rushed out, and it happened to be the boy sitting in front of him who received the backlash.  
“Will, if were going to be friends you need to understand this: I don't trust people easily, I don't talk to and open up to people easily. And I have a lot of fucking problems okay? The sooner you understand and accept that, the sooner we can actually get along and be friends.” Nico got up, leaving the rest of his food untouched, and stormed out of the pavilion. As he walked across the area leading to the sword fighting arena, the grass at his feet died as he passed over it. He hadn't meant to, but the scene he had just put on had caused many curious looks, and a few frightful ones. Will was left sitting alone at the table, receiving many glances and holding a confused and hurt expression of his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it was okay! Let me know what you think.


	3. Release

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think my spell check is broken. I apologize if any future chapters have mistakes.  
> This chapter is pretty short so im putting the next one up with it.

Nico swung his sword again, this time harder and faster. It hit the dummy straight across the neck, sending its head flying off. A fatal blow. A few more hits and the stuffed being was in taters; Nico moved on the next one.   
Every time his sword hit the mark perfectly it was like a small amount of his pain was lifted if even just for a minute. It was back just as quick though, and so he had to continue on. He knew he was exhausting himself, that this was bad for his health and if Will were here, he would kill him, before he got the chance to kill himself with over-exertion. But that was just why he was here. That and everything else wrong in his life. It was the only way he really knew how to deal with everything he felt.  
He lashed out when he couldn't handle things, which happened a lot. When Bianca died, after everything he went through in Tartrus and being captured. The only other way to handle all that was to bottle it up, keep it inside and pretend it never happened, that the feelings didn't exist. But that only lasted so long before he had to have some kind of relief. So this was it.   
The sword began to feel heavy in his arms, the muscles sore and over used. Still though, he pushed on. He never wanted to face being outnumbered again, being kidnapped. He had to prepare himself so it would never happen again. He wouldn't let himself be weak.   
Nico thought of Wills handsome, smiling face, his earnest expression, urging Nico to trust him. But as much as he wanted to trust him, he just couldn't. He had gone through too much in his life to just let someone in again like that. He didn't see why Will couldn't get that. Maybe he had messed up, leading Will on like that on the roof top. But that had been a moment of weakness and he didn't want it to happen again.  
Well maybe...   
As much as he was scared to let anyone in, he was also desperate to have some kind of connection with someone, and he felt like maybe he could have that with Will. He just had to figure out all his problems and then maybe he could be happy with Will. As if it was that easy.  
Thwack!   
His sword hit the dummy again and there went all thoughts of his sister.  
Thwack!  
Tarturus, the jar.  
Thwack!  
And finally there went all thoughts of Will and everything concerning him  
Nico continued to maul dummy after dummy, destroying everything in his path. He blocked out the other people in the arena; they weren't concerned with him anyway. Even though they had clapped for him at the campfire that one time, they weren't exactly eager to practice with him. Which was just fine with him anyway. No one else was at his level, expect for maybe Percy, and besides they would just get in his way, distract him. He didn't need anyone.  
“You keep going at that pace and the camp will run out of dummies,” A voice pipped up from behind Nico; he didn't even flinch, just kept swinging his sword, throwing his whole body in to the practice.   
“What do you want Jason?”  
“I don't want anything from you. I'm just checking up on a friend. I saw you storm out of breakfast and then I haven't seen you since. Its almost lunch time.” Jason stepped in to Nico's line of sight, the sun sparking off his new glasses. But as soon as Nico thought of the sun, he thought of Will. It was impossible to get away from him. He swung the sword again, tearing through the chest of the dummy, rendering it useless.  
“I don't need you to look after me. I'm fine.”  
“No you're not.” Jason stepped in front of the next practice dummy, just giving Nico enough time to stop his attack and not cut Jason's head off. That was the difference between them. Jason gave his trust much to easily.   
“Get out of my way Grace,” Nico growled, pointing his sword at the boys chest, but he wouldn't budge. It seemed Nico had a thing for making friends with stubborn people.  
Jason pulled out his two foot long gladius and challenged it against Nico's own Stygian iron sword. The air seemed to take on a tense quality, becoming cold and filling with electricity as the two boys started intensely, their weapons resting against each other. “How about you fight me instead? I'm sure I can defend myself more than those dummies can. Maybe you can get your anger out, and then tell me whats wrong.”  
Nico scoffed and hit his sword against Jason's, knocking it aside. He shoulder bumped Jason as he strode past him to a bench on the side lines where he planted himself. “I'm not going to fight you.”  
“What, afraid I'll win?” He teased.  
“I don't need to prove anything to you Grace.”  
“I know that. But do you?”  
“What are you even going on about? Can you leave, I want to practice?” Nico shot up from the bench and began to take his place in front of another dummy before Jason strode over, blocking his path once again.  
“Nico we need to talk. What happened since we got back? I mean I can't really see it being Leo, you guys weren't that close. So whats going on? You know you can talk to me.”  
“Why does everyone want to talk all of a sudden?” Nico scowled, but gave his attention to the boy standing in front of him.  
“Does it maybe have something to do with Will? You two were talking before you stormed off.”  
“One of many things,” Nico muttered turning his head away from Jason.  
“Nico,” Jason said softly. “Come sit down somewhere with me and we can talk. Please, I want to help. It's what friends do.”   
He couldn't say no. Really he tried. He opened his mouth, attempting to form the words, but the breath never passed his throat. He couldn't do it. How could he say no to the first real friend he had ever had who was trying to help him. Who was standing in front of him, urging Nico to open up, willing to listen and understand. Jason already knew more about him than almost anyone, he might as well try and trust him. He had to admit, maybe he already did.  
“Fine.”  
“Great! We can go back to my cabin-”  
“No. I know a place in the woods. We can go there.” Nico cut Jason off and started walking out of the arena, following a group of kids on the way to lunch.  
“Um, the woods?” Jason asked a bit hesitantly, but followed Nico none the less. “Why the woods?”  
“I feel more comfortable there. I know a spot we can talk without being disturbed,” Or over heard, Nico thought. “Why, do you have a problem with the woods?”  
“No that's fine. If its what makes you feel more comfortable,” Jason seemed to loosen up after his explanation, falling easily in to step next to Nico. Nico was a bit surprised by Jason's sudden mood change, but accepted it and instead of over-thinking, appreciated it.  
They continued walking, turning in the opposite direction the rest of the campers were going, until they were deep in the forest and had reached a shadowed clearing.  
“So this is were you come to think,” Jason stretched himself out in the patch of sunlight in the middle of the clearing, lying down with his head facing the clear sky above.  
“Yeah,” Nico mumbled, sitting awkwardly beside Jason squinting his eyes from the brightness of the sun.   
Jason looked over to the anxious boy, adjusting his glasses as they tilted oddly. “So, start talking. What happened since we got back?”  
Nico started to panic. He wanted to back out of the conversation but he knew it was too late for that. He had decided he trusted Jason, but that didn't make this any less hard.  
Finally he blurted out all at once, “I kissed Will.”  
“Wait, what?” Jason sat up abruptly, turning to face him. “What happened to Percy?”  
Nico sighed. “I told you I'm over him. It was just a stupid crush. I told him about it when we got back. He was cool with it, although he couldn't seem to grasp the concept I was gay, or that he wasn't my type.” Nico chuckled thinking about Percy's face when he told him, about Annabeth's support. “Its over now, I put it behind me.”   
Jason was beaming when Nico looked over. “Nico, I'm so proud of you! That took a lot of courage,” Suddenly Jason's demeanor changed and he shuffled a little closer to Nico. “So tell me about you and Will.”  
“Um,” Nico moved back and stared at Jason in shock. “ You sure you want to hear about it? Or are you just trying to be a good friend?”  
“Nico, that's what friends do. They listen and they understand. I'm not just asking to be polite, I'm asking because I care about you.”  
So Nico did. He told him all about that night, from Wills care taking to their kiss on the roof. And then he went on to explain about what happened at breakfast. He even, with some prompting from Jason and some deep breaths, told him about his fear of being abandoned.   
“Nico, I'm sorry you feel like that. I understand why though.”  
“Yeah, well...” Nico trailed off, not sure where to go from there.  
“I don't think you have to feel like that anymore though. Will sounds like he really likes you, in fact-”  
“Jason, its not that easy.”  
“Explain it to me then, Nico. I want to be here for you.”  
“I-I just, I have a lot of issues, okay? And I haven't figured them all out yet. I don't know how to deal with them.” Nico turned away from Jason, trying to blink back tears that were quickly welling up.  
“Nico,” Jason said slowly moving closer and hesitantly putting a hand on his shoulder. Nico stiffened, but didn't ask Jason to move it. “I'm here for you, okay? I can't pretend to understand everything you've gone through, but I can say I'll always be here when you need it.”  
Having composed himself, Nico turned to meet Jason's steady gaze. He appreciated Jason not pushing the issue, more than he could understand. “Thanks, I get that now. Just, um, thanks for being my friend.”  
Nico awkwardly stood up, shuffling away from Jason again, trying to hide his embarrassed face. Jason, having clambered up as well, surprised Nico by turning him around and pulling him in to a bear hug. He buried his face in Nico's soft, dark hair, smiling brightly.  
“I can't wait to become better friends with you, Nico di Angelo.”   
“Uh, yeah,” Nico relaxed and hugged Jason back properly, allowing himself to feel accepted and safe for the moment. “But that's enough hugging.”  
He pulled back, giving Jason a rare lopsided grin, before looking down.  
“Oh! Before I forget. I was trying to tell you earlier. Will came up to me after you ran off, asking about you.”  
“He did?” Nico, showing his excitement a little too much, pulled his head up quickly, a hopeful look on his usually somber face. “What did he say?”  
“He wanted to know if you would be okay. I told him to give you some time.”  
“Oh,” Nico thoughtfully looked away from Jason, deeper in to the woods, considering what this meant.  
“He also said that if I see you, to tell you you still need to come to the infirmary later. That you can't skip out on him again.”  
“Oh,” He said a little less enthusiastic this time. He wanted to see Will, but he was worried how he would react after the way he treated him. He had to admit, he may have been a bit harsh.  
“I think you should go. I honestly think he really likes you Nico. You should give him a chance. Just don't hurt yourself in the process.” Jason gave him a soft smile.  
“Yeah, I guess I will. Go see him that is. Thanks for your, um, advice. And for understanding and stuff. And for-”  
“Yeah I get it. Go see your boyfriend,” Jason teased, laughing as Nico started to blush and sputter.   
“He – He's not, boyfriend. What?”   
Jason just kept laughing, struggling to compose himself. Nico knew he wasn't being mean, and for once he could actually laugh along with someone. Except he was a little too busy being embarrassed.  
“I'm just going to go. I'm sure you can find your own way out,” Nico turned and walked away, trying to hide his blush as he neared camp, failing miserably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everyone that reads this! It means so much to me, and the fact that people leave comments asking for more is incredible!


	4. The Road to Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had to go through this and change a big part because I decided to take something out. And then I realized I never finished it from a few months ago, So sorry if its not edited very well.   
> Also I deeply apologize for the fact that Im too lazy to format this properly.

As soon as Nico saw Will in the infirmary, the blush he had finally managed to get under control, came back full force. Before he could turn away, or compose himself, Will spotted him.  
“Hey!” Will smiled brightly and ran up to meet Nico at the entrance to the infirmary. “Where have you been? I thought you were going to ditch me.”  
“I was kind of planning on it” Nico mumbled.  
“Um, what?” Will looked at Nico, confused. His face was so sweet and innocent that Nico couldn't help but to let his walls down and be honest.  
“I didn't really want to face you after what I did at breakfast. I didn't know if you would forgive me.”  
“Nico, there's nothing to forgive,” Will gently place a finger under Nico's chin and titled his head up. Surprised, Nico pulled away and awkwardly looked around to see if anyone was watching them.  
“Sorry,” He muttered, refusing to look up. He felt guilty that he couldn't just be normal and accept someones affection, let someone touch him. He was probably making Will hate him, want to give up on him.  
“No, I'm sorry. I forgot you don't like being touched. I respect that.”  
“Thanks. I'm, well I'm trying to be more open to stuff like that, I guess...” Nico trailed off.  
“I think you're doing a great job,” Will smirked making it quite clear he was talking about something else than just the previous moment.  
“Well, anyway, I just thought maybe we should talk about what happened. Not just at breakfast, but, um, before as well,” Nico looked up meeting Wills eyes. It was going to be hard for him to talk about this, and address his feelings so openly, but he had just done it with Jason so he was willing to try with Will. Besides with the way Will was looking at him just then, he probably would have spilled his heart out if Will asked.  
“Yeah of course. We can go to my office and talk.”  
Nico snorted, trying to stop himself from laughing, but couldn't hold back the grin that broke out across his face. “Your office?”  
Will just sighed, hiding a smile as he began to lead Nico to the back of the infirmary where a sectioned off area with a filing cabinet and a small desk sat. Nico tried hard to ignore the smug stares Wills siblings were giving them as they passed and the curious looks of the other campers. Gossip traveled too fast in this camp. Nico would have to be ready for when everyone found out eventually, because surely they would.  
Will perched himself on the edge of the desk and gestured for Nico to take the chair. Nico, needing to feel in control, refused and stayed standing. He couldn't help but admire though, how professional Will looked sitting there in his yellow surgeons shirt, surrounded by files he had written on every demigod injury that had ever come through here. And there were a lot. But then Nico looked at the cutoff jean shorts he was wearing and the flip flops, and the image was sort of ruined. Meanwhile, Nico stood in the middle of this hospital like environment in black skinny jeans and a black t-shirt. He couldn't have felt more out of place.  
“So. Where do you want to start?” Will questioned.  
“Um, from the beginning I guess.”  
“Alright. I'll go first to help you out,” Will looked directly at Nico, not shying away at all as he spoke. “I like you, Nico. I told you that this morning. That's why I kissed you on the roof. That's why I brought you up there in the first place. I understand why you said what you did this morning. I get things have been hard for you. That's why I want to be there for you. I'll be honest, I want more Nico. But I'm willing to wait if that's what you want. I can respect that. I just want whats best for you.”  
Nico was looking at Will with his eyebrows furrowed and a soft look on his face. But that was misleading. Nico wasn't sad at all in this moment. In fact he was elated. It was like things were clicking in to place. Will wasn't judging him for his actions, or demanding further explanations. He was willing to wait, and that meant a lot to Nico. He tried to put it in to words, the gratitude he felt.  
“Thank you, Will. Really that means a lot to me. I can't even explain how much.”  
“I'm glad. But Nico, could I just ask one thing?” With Nico's nod of approval, he continued. “How do you feel? I mean really. You kissed me back on the roof, so I have to assume that means something. But could you just be open and not hold anything back? You said you hadn't made up your mind, but maybe it's a bit clearer now?”  
Nico struggled to compose himself for a minute, searching for the words, and then building up the nerve to say them. “The truth is I know how I feel. I just wasn't ready to accept it or admit it then. But I think I might be ready now. There's a reason I kissed you back,” Nico gave him a cocky smirk, trying to hide just how nervous he felt and the fact that he had still managed to somewhat evade the question.  
Wills face light up either way. Nico hated what he had to say next, but if they were going to be honest...  
“But, I don't know if I'm ready yet. I'm fourteen, I've never done this before.”  
Wills face began to fall a bit, still holding on to that shred of hope.  
“But that doesn't mean I don't want to try either,” Nico stated, watching as Will began to smile again. “I think I do, I mean I know I do. I think- I think I'm ready for my friends to try and help me, you included. I'm not saying its going to be easy, but I'm willing to try.”  
This time Will didn't hesitate. He strode forward and pulled Nico in to his arms, resting his chin on top of the boys head. Nico, uncharacteristically, wrapped his arms immediately around Will, burying his head in his chest.  
“So friends first? And then we'll work from there?” Will questioned.  
Nico felt a hundred emotions rushing through him; trying to identify them all at once was impossible. But above them all and the most easy to spot was hope. Finally he felt like he might really have a future, he might be happy with another person, learn to trust, and for once have real, genuine friends.  
“Yeah, I – I guess so,” He couldn't help but smile as he buried his head in Will, letting himself savor the moment and cling to the feeling of ease and acceptance.  
Eventually they had to let go. Will pulled Nico over to the desk where he insisted he check his arm, since Nico hadn't bothered to come in the past few days.  
“Besides, the last time I saw it, it was the middle of the night and dark. What kind of doctor would I be if I let that be the only time I see it,” He added.  
Nico grudgingly agreed and sat on the corner of the desk while Will sat in the chair and pulled some supplies out of the drawers. Seriously, it was like they kept a never ending supply of bandages here. Though with the amount that demigods got hurt, Nico supposed it must be necessary.  
Will began to unwrap the old bandages on his arm, slowly and with care. The wounds weren't bothering Nico as much anymore, but they hadn't healed fully yet. As the white gauze caught on the cuts, Nico let out a hiss of pain, forgetting how they hurt when irritated. The wounds were red, probably from his sword practice, though he had blocked the pull of pain at the time.  
“Sorry,” Will mumbled, focusing on carefully taking off the rest of the bandages. His calloused yet soft hands against Nico's skin left his heart racing and a pleasant fluttering feeling in his stomach. He worked on controlling his breathing and then ignoring the lingering pain coming from his arm.  
After washing his hands, Will began to spread the same gel as before on the wolf scratches, softly covering them with two fingers spreading the mixture. The pulling on the exposed flesh only hurt a bit, nothing Nico couldn't handle. He had more going on in his mind anyway. Like noticing how gently Will touched him, like he was afraid to move too fast, press too hard. Or the way he scrunched his eyebrows together and bit his lip when he was concentrating. Or how soft and steady his breathing was even though Nico could swear he could hear his heart beating just a bit too fast. Maybe that was just his own.  
After Nico had been wrapped up, Will insisted he stay to help out in the infirmary. He tried to protest, saying how much it would probably bother the other patients, making them weary and uncomfortable, but Will was having none of it. He insisted that Nico owed him.  
So Nico stayed. He trailed behind Will most of the time, holding things, cutting bandages, running off for supplies. But, surprisingly he enjoyed himself. Or maybe not so surprisingly. He got to spend hours with Will. Of course he got the expected odd looks from campers. Some were uneasy, but he found that others were rather accepting. They found him fascinating, wanting to know all about his adventures, which he tried to fill in for them as best as he could without getting too depressing or caught up in his anxiety and general unease with people. Will also became quite entrapped in Nico's stories, often getting so caught up he forgot what he was doing.  
But Nico lost his focus sometimes too. He was constantly amazed at Wills skills and the respect the other campers had for him. His siblings as well; they all came to him for advice ranging from medical issues to friend and relationship problems. Will was caring and patient and understanding. It was no wonder he was head counselor. Nico found himself getting caught up in the boy, looking at him entranced and with a hint of adoration. Will was everything a person should strive to be, everything Nico strived to be, but could never reach.  
By the time dinner rolled around, it felt like every Apollo camper and then some had come to talk to Will about one thing or another. Nico had forgotten how popular he was, how easily he got along with everyone. He never shirked on his responsibilities though. Even as he was talking with one person, he was treating another. And he never forgot about Nico beside him.  
As the dinner horn sounded, Apollo campers began to organize food for those who couldn't leave the infirmary, and others began to spill out from the building, eager to take a break and relax.  
“Come on, lets go have dinner,” Will suggested. “I know you didn't eat lunch, you're not getting away with another meal.”  
Nico pretended to sigh dramatically, acting as though it was a big decision. In reality though, it wasn't. As much as Nico had a hard time eating, he was more excited to spend even more time with Will, talking and getting to know each other. “I suppose.”  
Will grinned brightly and grabbed Nico's hand tugging him along. He didn't let go of it all the way to the dining pavilion, which Nico couldn't pretend to hate as much as he wanted to. He still had a hard time with touching people, but with Will he could be more comfortable. Wills touch was calming, where other peoples caused anxiety.  
As soon as they started up the small steps, Nico gently tugged his hand out of Will's, immediately missing the warmth and reassuring touch. He was sure enough people had already seen them walking here, he didn't need the whole camp viewing this. Will looked back at Nico and gave him the most ridiculous puppy dog face; pouting lips and big eyes. Nico tried to give him a glare, but couldn't help the small smile. He turned his head away to try and avoid blushing in front of Will, just in time to see Hazel gesturing him over to a table filled with all his friends from the Argo II. Without glancing behind him, he started to make his way over hesitantly.  
“Nico, why don't you sit with us? I haven't seen you all day!” Hazel exclaimed as soon as Nico was in hearing range.  
“Uh...” He trailed off, having hoped he could have a quick dinner with Will and then return to his cabin as soon as possible. He turned his head slightly to find said boy close behind him, giving him a small encouraging smile and gesturing towards the table.  
“I guess so,” He decided. “But...um...could Will sit with us?”  
“Of course he can!” Jason piped up from his spot beside Piper on the other side of the table.  
Nico gave him a small glare, but sat down beside Hazel anyway with Will squeezing in beside him. There was plenty of room on the long bench despite the fact that Frank also sat on the same side, but despite this, Will chose to sit as close as he could to Nico so that there legs were touching. It didn't go unnoticed by Jason, and Piper, if he was seeing things correctly.  
It was different getting used to being physically close to people, but somehow with Will it was better. It didn't feel awkward and uncomfortable and forced. It felt natural, like Nico could relax against his side and fit perfectly tucked against him. Like he was made to be there. It was due to this feeling that Nico accepted Will sitting so close to him, and even relaxed his body enough to their legs comfortably press against each other, the heat from Will radiating off him even through his clothes. Nico figured children of Apollo were like space heaters, being the kids of the sun and all.  
As food started to circulate around the mess hall, served on large platters, and after they had given their offerings to the gods, Nico realized this might be harder than he thought. Reaching for food, trying to use his fork, even picking up his cup, he kept bumping Wills arm. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, but it was more distracting than he thought and it would start to get annoying. Will was left handed. Nico wasn't used to sitting next to someone left handed while eating. Well actually he wasn't used to sitting next to anyone while eating period.  
“Will, this is going to be a bit of a challenge trying to eat beside you, if we're going to keep bumping in to each other,” He spoke softly, so as not to interrupt the conversation at the table. Some kind of speculating about Leo, a subject he didn't want to get in to. Even being the son of the god of the Underworld, he didn't always handle sad situations well.  
“Oh, I don't know about that. I'm kind of having fun,” Will gave him a small wink and nudged his arm. Nico felt his face start to heat up and a lump in his throat develop. It was then that he realized the conversation had turned to a new subject, until it had suddenly stopped and all eyes were on him and Will, faces filled with smirks and knowing looks.  
Percy broke the silence. “So I'm not your type, huh?”  
“Wha- what are you talking about?” Nico sputtered, trying to remain composed, but he couldn't help the way his heart was racing and he was sure his eyes were wide and his cheeks flushed.  
“You and Will,” Percy stated and looked back and forth between Nico and the boy sitting next to him raising his eyebrows in a suggestive manner like some kind of cartoon character.  
Annabeth reached over and punched Percy hard, earning a yelp of pain in return. She looked to be the most calm out of everyone. Looking around Nico saw faces full of delight, struggling to hide laughter. Will only seemed mildly bashful, not at all like Nico, who was going redder by the second and wished more than anything to be swallowed up by the earth right about now. He was seriously considering shadow traveling away from the scene, risking Wills wrath, when a hand held his under the table. It was simple and not at all forceful, just Will laying his hand on top of Nicos and gently moving his fingers in a soft, soothing gesture. It made Nico halt in his tracks though. He stopped floundering for words, his heart beginning to beat fast for an entirely different reason.  
“Well, not that it really matters, but I think I'm a better choice anyway,” Will easily joked, earning a laugh from everyone at the table and a small pout from Percy. Nico marveled at Wills ability to stay so composed in such an embarrassing situation. He wished he could handle it like that, but he was still trying to figure out the situation to begin with.  
Why was everyone acting so normal? Did they already know about him? About him and Will? Why did they know about any of that?  
“Well I guess you would be, considering you already kissed each other...” Percy continued to tease them. Jason began to look the slightest bit uncomfortable, like he was regretting a choice.  
And then it all clicked in to place.  
“Do you all know?” Nico asked incredulously, forgetting his embarrassment momentarily.  
“I only told Piper!” Jason said hurriedly, as he tried to defend himself. Nico turned to Piper next.  
“I may have told Hazel...” Piper said slowly, laughing awkwardly and avoided meeting Nico's eye.  
“Well, now I know where that went wrong,” Nico remarked sarcastically.  
From her position beside Nico, Hazel reached over and punched his arm, receiving a shout of protest and a death glare in return. Throughout it all, Will had continued sitting calmly next to Nico, holding his hand under the table and enjoying the whole ordeal, not in the least uncomfortable by the topic of discussion.  
Nico tried building some sort of defense again after letting himself become so vulnerable. He tried to shut off his emotions, not letting anything through. He glared at everyone at the table, waiting for someone to speak up. Under Wills hand, his began to clench his into a fist, his jeans bunched up in his grip. Wills pace began to quicken, almost stroking his hand, and when that didn't work, he loosened Nicos grip until he let go of the clothing. Slipping his hand into Nicos, Will laced their fingers and began to draw small circles with his thumb across the skin.  
Nico felt some of his anger and hurt draining away due to the unfamiliar, but comforting, act. He wasn't sure why Jason had told Piper when he said he wouldn't. Nico understood she was his girlfriend, but still, now everyone knew and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.  
Jason looked genuinely sorry as he spoke, his eye brows furrowed and gaze intent. “I'm sorry, Nico. I shouldn't have told anyone without talking to you first. But you know you can trust us not to tell the whole camp.”  
Nico made a noncommittal noise, not entirely satisfied.  
“For the record,” Annabeth spoke up. “Percy and I pretty much already knew everything. I mean I figured it out, and you had to spell it out for Percy, but still we knew already.”  
Percy opened his mouth to protest, but then remembering when Nico had told him, shut it again and shrugged his shoulders, agreeing with Annabeths statement.  
“And I'm your sister. I pretty much knew already too,” Hazel added.  
“Yeah, well-” Nico was suddenly cut off by Piper.  
“Nico, we're your friends. We know you better than you think we do. The only thing Jason really had told anyone that they didn't already know was about the kiss. And even then, I think everyone would have figured it out eventually, given the way you two look at each other and the fact that you're holding hands under the table right now.” She smirked as Nico yanked his hand away from Wills, only proving her point and causing everyone else to try and sneak a glance at them.  
Will looked mildly hurt, but understood why Nico felt so uncomfortable. He let his hands rest in his lap until Nico decided he was ready again.  
“How did you even know that?” Nico asked incredulously.  
“Daughter of Aphrodite thing,” Piper gave a wicked grin. “I could already sense a lot of things about you before you even told anyone.”  
Nico felt slightly invaded, like he had when Cupid had forced him to admit his crush. It was unsettling that Piper could know so much personal information about him, without him even having to say a word.  
Despite the fact that his biggest secret had just been revealed to all his friends and he was slightly upset, he also felt an immense relief. He didn't have to hide anything from them again. And although none of these people (except maybe Annabeth and Frank) could keep their mouths shut, he felt like he could learn to trust them. Maybe if they could accept him, other people could too. Maybe soon enough, he wouldn't have to hide from anyone.  
Nico took a deep, calming breath and carefully slid his hand back in to Wills, letting the conversation drift to something irrelevant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment!


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